Bathroom Repair Items to Have in Your Home for Emergencies

Drip, drip, drip… The last thing someone wants to see is an unexpected leak, or something worse happening in their bathroom. You may start to immediately call your plumber, but stop and access if this is something you can take care of on your own. Let’s discuss some items you should have in your home in case an emergency like this happens to arise. Then you’ll have the tools to bandage before a plumber can arrive, or perhaps fix the problem on your own.

The first thing you’ll want to do when you discover a problem with a leak or drip is to turn off your main water supply. This will stop the problem while you access what is going wrong, and continue to do work on fixing the problem.

Things you should have on hand to help with various issues are:

A pipe wrench or tongue and groove pliers. Pipe wrenches are mainly used for steel or iron piping, while tongue and groove pliers that are also called slip-joint or channel-type pliers. They have a sliding adjustable size opening with longer handles. If you’re tightening the pipes to stop water from leaking out then you’ll need two, one to clamp and hold one pipe, while you are using the other one to twist and tighten the other.

Plumber’s repair putty. You can apply this epoxy putty to help plug a leak up in a pinch. Per the instructions, knead the putty then apply to where the leak is emanating from, and it will harden in an hour. This will keep the leak contained until you can find a permanent repair solution.

Electrical or Duct Tape and Hose Clamps. Just like the repair putty, these items can also be used in a pinch for a quick and temporary solution. If you have small pinhole leaks, you can wrap electrical or duct tape around the pipe several times. To keep it tight apply hose clamps to the ends of the tape. It will hold things at bay, until you can get a plumber to come out for your emergency.

Assorted Washers. These items can help you with your dripping faucets, as they are an easy repair with just a replacement of the washer in the faucet. If you are clearing a clogged drain you may need to replace the slip washer after you have taken the drain apart. Figure out what sizes you will need for your different fixtures, so you can have several replacements on hand for emergencies.

Plungers. When you hear plunger, we all immediately think of a toilet plunger. This is the item everyone probably already has on hand, but it doesn’t hurt to bring it up. Every bathroom needs an accessible plunger for when that horrible moment of the water slowly rising to the top of the toilet bowl as you dive for the water shut off valve at the back of the toilet to stop the terribleness from overflowing onto your bathroom floor. But you should also have a drain plunger for clog blocking a drain trap in your sink, shower, or tub. 

Drain Auger. When you find your drain is backed up and the usual methods of a drain plunger, and a baking soda/vinegar clearing is not doing the trick, then it’s time to employ the drain auger. Also, known as a drain snake, you can insert the metal cable into the drain and extend it through the drain with a rotating handle to break up or extract the clog.
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If you find yourself in an emergency situation and need repairs, give us a call today at Tony’s Plumbing and we’ll come to your rescue!

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